Council takes
over dog waste MAIDSTONE has cancelled the contract to have dog waste bins emptied by outside contractors. As predicted in the Downs
Mail in March, the council has given RIP Cleaning of Chatham notice that its contract will come to an end on July 31, after which emptying will be taken back in house. The borough has 350 desig-
nated dog waste bins, but has been encouraging people to use any type of litter bin for their dogmess, provided it is bagged. Cllr Derek Mortimer (LibDem)
who is also a member of Tovil Parish Council, launched an at- tack on the ruling Tories when the proposals were first put for- ward, saying dog waste was not appropriate for regular bins. Cllr Marion Ring (Con), cabi-
net member for environment, originally claimed no decision had been taken, but this week admitted: “We are taking it in house. It is more economical to do the job ourselves.”
More car parking NHS WEST Kent has been given permission to add 13 parking spaces to the existing car park at Heathside House, Heath Road, Coxheath. The scheme, whichwillmake
a total of 55 parking spaces, in- cludes the installation of four three-metre lighting columns.
A new role for Tabernacle
THE iconic Tabernacle in Mote Park has been saved and will be restored and opened as a youth sports centre, thanks to a £31,490 grant from Sport England. TheMote Cricket Club last year received other
grants of £21,000 to stabilise the derelict build- ing with a new roof and restored walls. The money will provide a large changing area and classroom, toilets, shower and a small kitchen. The grant also covers the cost of coaching aids
such as a video camera, screen and computer to help develop young cricketers, rugby players, footballers etc. “We plan this will be the first step in major im- provements to this important site,” said Dennis Fowle, chairman of The Mote CC development committee. “We will now liaise closely with Maidstone Council on an exciting scheme to build a mag- nificent new pavilion, improved access, inter-
Continued from front page altering their circumstances to get more points. The new system would mean
the council and housing providers setting quotas on how many homes can be bid on by applicants, categorised by their housing need. However, the definition of “community contribution” has been questioned by some mem- ber of the council. Cllr Sue Grigg (LibDem), vice
chair of the committee, said: “Whilst the fostering of chil- dren is very laudable, it should
nal road tracks and at least 200 car parking places. “Kent County Cricket Club has written to support improvements and a return of first-class cricket to the ground.We see the site becoming a significant centre, too, to benefit the Maidstone community.” The total cost of the scheme is estimated at about
£3m and the club hopes this will come from further grants and an enabling residential development. There will still be two cricket and three rugby pitches. Hugh Robertson, Mid Kent MP and Minister for
Sport and Olympics and himself a keen cricketer, said: “This funding will allow The Mote to renovate and update an important building and, in a year when the Olympic torch comes to Maidstone, allow another generation to enjoy this wonderful ground.”
Fostering child ‘a means to an end’
not be a criteria for accessing so- cial housing. “KCC might argue that society
is creating dysfunctional adults out of children who are brought up in children’s homes, rather than with a family – but what kind of dysfunctional adults are we going to create by putting children with people who could potentially view them as a meanstoanend? “I would find that practice ex- tremely worrying. It is not a proper incentive todangle in front of people hoping for a house.” There are more than 4,000
households currently on Maid- stone’s housing list yet an aver- age of just 400 properties become free each year. The list is “cumbersome, ex- pensive to maintain and does not adequately reflect housing need within the borough” ac- cording to the report. Less than 50% of those on the list actually bid for properties. The council is currently un- dertaking a review of its entire waiting list and housing appli- cants will be asked to complete a new form between now and September.
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